Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Try It Tuesday!

Good morning! How are you doing today? Are you busy crafting? Or are you busy starting plants for  the garden? Maybe the family has you busy running around with school and sports. Whatever you are busy with I appreciate that you came by and took the time to read my blog! Thank so much!
Today is Try It Tuesday! If you have been on here before I try to do something on Tuesday that I have not tried before- sometimes I like it and it works, other times  try it and well it is a fail. I got the idea from Jo's Country Junction, she always has some great things she tries! Go check her site out and you can see what others are trying as well.  
So I got out a project that actually I have not had all that long. I bought it at the fabric store and thought it would be a great project to stick in the purse and I could pull it out and work on it while waiting or while watching tv or something. It came all pre-cut so it really was not a lot of work on my part at all.  The project a Grandmothers Fan Hot Pad....
Various fabrics that are just fun! I love the one that has the ants on it. Of course the coffee one is right up my alley too! Love me some java!

A close up of the patterns. I always think I need to put fabrics together that match or are the same color, pattern. However I really like the way this looks! Its scrappy, bright, and would fit the decor of more than one house- just in case it is given as a gift. All I have left to do is layer the back and insulbrite and put the center circle on! Then I am actually going to "try" quilting the top - I think I will try just sewing in the ditch.

The other project that I did share with you  already. However I worked on it some more as I am "trying" to get as many yo-yos done as I can. I really want to get this table runner done!  They are fun to make!!

The problem I am having with this project is do I just put the yo-yos together all mixed up? You know not two of the same pattern together. Or do I put them in a flower shape with the center yellow and then petals of the same material around the center? I can't remember what the one I saw looked like as far as a pattern. I believe it was all mixed up. Hmmmm  Let me know what you think, or what you have tried. When I get some more done I will post some pictures and we can have another discussion on it- although maybe I will have made my mind up by then... or not. 
Ok friends, have a fun and productive day! Too see other home-made gift ideas you can go to Tip Junkie and make sure you go get some great ideas over at Jo's Country Junction.

Monday, March 26, 2012

A Hiccup in Fabric copyrights!

  This entry has been copied from Bonnie Hunts Quiltville page. Here is the link Quiltville so that you can check out her site for other treats! I am sharing it just is she posted it so I am letting you  know that ahead of time! I am giving her the credit for letting us all know what is going on, however I want to get the word out as there are a lot of us out here that are afraid of just this sort of thing! 
This sort of thing just chaps my hide!! I know as a quilter I do know always see, read or at times even get what they print on the  salvage sides of my fabric. Plus the company and designer gets FREE advertising and  am sure their contact info was/would have been listed as the fabric source. So instead lets go after the little person, the artist that actually create a product from the fabric.  Unbelievable! Another time where we are sue happy! What are they going to sue her for the sewing machine? Her fabric stash? Please don't take it that I don't think she doesn't have money- that is not what I am saying. It just we  live in a society that sues over people spilling hot coffee on themselves and get millions in settlements! Now this? What are we going to do to protect ourselves?? I wish I knew the fabric line as I would make sure it was on my no buy list!
Ok I am off the soapbox. Read it and make your own decision.


A Hiccup in Fabric Copyrights ---



Or --- things that REALLY scare me as a designer!
Grab a cuppa and sit down. This is a serious post about something that has happened to a fellow quilt designer.
The story goes like this:
Emily Cier is a modern quilter who writes books for C&T. Fabric manufacturers send her the latest newest lines of fabric for her to make quilts with, and these quilts go into her books. You’d think that is what the manufacturer would want, right? To get the fabric line out there in the public eye, hoping to sell more fabric.
And all was hunky dory until Emily was threatened with being SUED. For using fabric by a certain designer with a copyright on the selvage that says “For personal use only”.
WHAT?!
Emily writes:
“One designer — one that I’ve been a fan of since their first collection and I’ve come to respect over the years – decided that I’d violated their rights by including photo(s) of a quilt made with their fabric to demonstrate a pattern in one of my books. This particular fabric was sent to me from The Manufacturer — actually, it was their suggestion. Well, The Designer’s lawyers sent a Cease and Desist letter threatening to sue me if I don’t pay tens of thousands of dollars, plus lawyer fees, destroying all copies of the book, etc.”
What is this world coming to when quilt designers become afraid to use certain lines of fabric for fear of being sued? Over QUILTS? The quilts aren’t being sold themselves ---but designs MADE with the copyrighted fabric are the demo models used to promote patterns, books, bags, etc.
The following posts on Emily’s blog show the full story in all it’s ugliness:
http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog/2012/03/22/more-sides-to-the-story/

Imagine me in all my horror --- with all the 100’s of different fabrics used in my scrap quilts, trying to list each fabric line, each manufacturer, each fabric designer ---in fear of being sued for not mentioning such when I publish a book with a quilt that uses a recognizable piece of that fabric?
I admit that I don’t play with whole fabric lines, which would be really noticeable as "Oh, that's THAT line of fabric" ---you can’t walk into a quilt shop and find a ready made kit or fabric line to make one of my quilts “exactly”.
To me this goes right up there with someone entering a quilt in a show, winning a prize, and then being told that they violated either pattern or fabric copyright because they “profited” from the making of that quilt.
It’s out of hand.
I just want to quilt.
I want to play with my fabric and feel SAFE while I do so.
As a quilter, how does this whole mess make YOU feel?
And just to make myself feel better, I’m headed down to Gastonia today on a little Mary Jo’s Fabric Acquisition Road Trip to meet up with my friend Pati who is visiting the area from Florida! We plan on shopping, having lunch, maybe hit Ikea or the antique mall, and spend the day --- where I will keep such things as the whole content of this post and fabric copyrights in the WAY BACK of my mind lest it give me an ulcer.
This is a post that has info that quilters need to know, so if you want to pass it on to your other quilty places ---please do so.
Happy Monday, Peeps!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Have you ever made a yo-yo?? Paper-Pieced?

Good morning friends- Come on in and have a cup of tea! Its warm but a bit gloomy here as it has been raining on and off for days. I hope you are having a good morning and are listening to the birds singing, here the frogs are also talking. They were so loud coming home last night that I thought they had to be in the grass somewhere! Mikhaila did come in with a cute brown tree frog- he was pretty big! Its a good thing we both like frogs- she brings them in and they usually hop towards me.
This morning I thought I would share some projects that I just tuck in my pocketbook so when I am waiting for something/ someone I can pull it out and be productive. I usually carry around some sort of knitting, however its Spring  so I thought I would try something new that is on my bucket list to do.
The first I have pulled out is something that I use to do about a hundred years ago. English Paper Piecing has been around forever, they come in all sorts of pre-cut shapes. The ones I pulled out are hexagons as I want to do  a Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt- now to me that is a huge project! So I am being realistic and just starting out with making some hexagons and as I get them put together I will start a bin and somewhere in the future I will have enough to make either a lap blanket or a quilt. I know that I will use various light and medium colors for the flower petals, I am going to use the traditional yellow center- I would like to do a pale yellow for around the flowers however it might just be a super light pink. Usually it is white in the quilts I have seen, however I think I would get a white quilt DIRTY! I don't trust myself! LOL So where do you get the paper pieces? Well I tried to find a grid on-line that I could just print off ad cut up but I had no such luck finding any, they all had one hexagon. So I went to a quilt store here in the Haywood area River's Edge Quilt Loft to see if they would have the bags of paper pieces already cut-up. Well to my surprise she had a little basket that had trial sizes of hexagons all ready to go!
This is a good warning as little projects are addictive! LOL When I got ahold of these I could not wait to get started.

Bad picture I know- but it comes with directions, fabric and the hexies!

This is what you are creating with the samples in the bag.

They give the fabric as well as some hexagons. Also just a note, the paper pieces can be used as again. Just as soon as you take them out of the flowers you make, you can reuse them to make another. They do last for quite some time before you have to get new ones.
 While I   was there I also purchased some 2" 6 point diamonds, she was actually out of the packages of hexagons. These will be fun to try too - I am thinking a smaller project such as a table runner or a pillow would be awesome! If you don't live in my neck of the woods you can order some paper pieces from Paper Pieces and then their is Blank Quilting. If you would like to try paper piecing shoot me a comment and I will send you a sample.

The other project I also purchased at  River's Edge Quilt Loft  was a "Quick" Yo-Yo Maker by Clover. I saw a table scarf done with yo-yos and I really like it! I call it a scarf because it was longer then a table runner, not circular like a doily and it was beautiful. So that was the inspiration for buying the yo-yo maker! I thought I got a bigger size yo-yo maker but the package says small - so hey that makes sense then that the yo-yos are small! LOL I am using some civil war reproduction material scraps that was gifted to me. Also added some red floral fabric that  had sitting here.This is what I have done so far..
Aren't they cute???? Love the look of them!

The front have the swirl and of course the back are flat. I love how the pattens look once they  are in the yo-yo shape.

Bad photo. But you put the fabric between the front and the back of the disk. Then you go around and trim the fabric.


This is the red scrap I had laying around - it will add great color to the project.

.
The front of the disk after the fabric has been trimmed....

The back of the disk, the ridges are where you sew. Very easy, very simple, actually fast. 
Hope that inspires you to try some paper piecing or some yo-yos. I will update you with progress as they get done. I would be interested to hear what you are working on. Remember to check your local quilt shops- shop local! The small businesses need your support! Have a wonderful day!



Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Try It Tuesday.

Ok My it is Tuesday again?? Where does the time fly too? If you are new to my blog thanks so much for stopping over!! Please feel free to subscribe or leave comments,  love to hear what folks are doing with their spare time. Whatever that is right? 
So Tuesdays I try to post about something we here at the  Barnyardchicks Farm have tried. I got the idea from Jo over at Jo's Country Junction - please go  over and check out her fabulous site as she is a great quilter! She also has recipes as well as other goodies to share. I am always inspired after looking at things she has made or tried. Hopefully you will be as well. 
So here at the farm we tried some new things. First I have a glider rocker chair that is broken,  thought it would be a pretty easy fix. hmmm That is not the case.
 I really want this chair fixed so I can sit in it. However it really has  not cooperated! I got all the tools and the glue. The piece does not want to stay n the hole and it has been fixed before by someone else so what does that say. Its a weak spot and maybe I need to figure out how to make it a non-gliding chair!

This was before fixing. As you can see all the glue and well the piece does not want to stay in there at all! What a drag! I want to sew and knit in this chair. If anyone has suggestions on how to make it stay together or make it a stationary char let me know.

So the chair was a thumbs down for the Barnyardchicks!

Next project we tried here was the annual cleaning out of the birdhouses. I always think about this after the fact that they should be done. I would have this year too but I got an e-mail about someone else who was cleaning out their birdhouses. So the first hing I did was seize the moment and do it or it would most likely would not get done again this year. All I can say is yuck!
Here is the first one- doesn't look like its been used in awhile. The bottom on this one needs to be reinforced. I mean we don't want a heavy nest in there and it falling out the bottom! Plus this one the screw doesn't want to told he lid tight so they could fall out the front as well. So I need to fix that.

It was so windy that all the crude went flying right into my face! Lovely! LOL This picture is way not attractive- can you tell I was in the sewing room all day? Wow. OK Next!

This is the other one. These are both on tall post that lead into my pasture.

This one is in better shape as well as it looks like it has been used last year. Still its getting cleaned out. These birds are resourceful though look at that feather tucked in there. I felt bad that all their hard work was being destroyed but they have lots of feathers and all kinds of fresh hay to pick up for their new nests.
So the birdhouses were a thumbs up for the Barnyardchicks! 
I will be putting out some yarn and feathers in an onion bag so that they will have nesting choices. My stepmom always did this when she was alive and I think its a great idea! It will be interesting next year to see what they used to build their nest out of!

The last Try It is dinner. We actually made this for dinner last night. We used the cabbage that we grew last year, added potatoes, carrots, onions and ham and let it cook for awhile on the stove. Then we made crescent rolls and had dinner. Well it was delicious! I am so glad we just froze our cabbage last year, we have really enjoyed making dishes like this that are flavorful as well as filling. Its also cool that we grew some of the produce ourselves!
So that was a BIG thumbs up for the Barnyardchicks. 
Thats it for Try It Tuesday here at our farm. What are you going to try out today? I hope you have fun while doing it! Let us know what you have going on in your neck of the woods.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Well hello there friend....  hope that you had a beautiful day today. First to all the Irish as well as the wanna-be Irish... Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you all had some great food and got to see friends.
If you are a quilter... Happy National Quilt Day! I hope you got to work on something in your sewing room! I wish  would have had the time to do some sewing today.
What did I do instead you ask? Well Mikhaila and I went to the 12th annual New Ventures Gardening Seminar in Minong, that I told you about a couple days ago. It was a beautiful day here in NW Wisconsin and we got up early to get ready and get on the road. The seminar started at 9:15, we were greeted by smiling gardeners and coffee and donuts for breakfast. There were different vendors that had various goods to sell- anywhere from books to plants. The presentations were all very good, inspiring and we even watched the movie "A Chemical Reaction" that is out. Lunch was great! Very good food, the ladies did a wonderful job hosting - also any men that may have been behind the scenes. =) We saw various people that we knew but had not known were coming, it was fun to catch-up.We will sure put it on the calendar for next year!
Here are some pictures that we took. Enjoy!
Lovely flavored water, refreshing!

The water looked to good to drink! Mint, rosemary, fruit, basil, dill, lemons and water

Lunch was very good. The cook did wonderful treats for dessert , sandwiches that were yummy, an awesome noodle salad! It really was worth the $14 just to have the lunch!



Another yummy drink! Shaved ice in a punch with grapefruit and lime slices! Wonderful!


A close-up, wish I would have gotten the recipe for this one!

The tables were decorated for St. Patrick's Day.

Mikhaila with her green on! She was originally going to rebel and wear red, white, and blue. I am glad she changed her mind, she looks great in green!

She still put alot of food away even though she had a good cold going on!

One of the table displays. People could bring in pictures from the yards or from their clubs. The planted bowl on the right was awesome!! All miniature plants and accesories- it was a door prize!

Isn't it awesome! I would love one that looks just like it!

Another door prize! They really had some great things donated!

Awww it was so good to see plants that were all fresh and blooming!! Beautiful!

Meleah- one of the presenters, she gave two presentations. Both were very good. She can be reached on her blog www.everydaygardener.com

Mary Ellen was there with info on the Monarch Butterfly. The Happy Tonics are right in Shell Lake- they have a great butterfly garden that  you can stop and see. Their info www.happytonics.wordpress.com
 The table on the right sold plants today. Very Nice plants!

Meleah giving her other presentation. A great table set-up behind her with pictures and cards to sell.

Here is a close-up of the plant table. Its looking a little bare now! I know I brought two plants home.

Oh aren't they cute! I thought the St. Patty's colors went well with having  a garden seminar! It was nice they decorated for both!

Some more of the St. Patty's Day decor.

One of the attendants!! LOL No it is actually a dsplay at the Minong school where the seminar was held. Very nice school!

Mikhaila won a gift certificate as well a garden stake. She is soooo lucky!

A BIG thanks to all the vendors, presenters, works, planners and attendees. It was a wonderful day to talk about gardening!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Try it Tuesday Update

So a week ago on a Tuesday I planted some plants and shared them with all of you here on the blog. Well this last Tuesday I checked in with the plants and took pictures so you can see what is going on here as far as those plants. I have to say that with this warmer weather  I really want to get out and start working in the soil. I want to start plants and plant things outside.Now I know that we could still get some colder weather, and we have there was frost outside earlier this week. But wow I just want to have a green yard and some fresh veggies from the garden.
Apple is doing good. I think he has laid down some roots by now as he has been planted for a week and a half. We shall see how it grows....

This is the lavender today- it has grown alot since Tuesday when I took the other picture!


This is the same lavender that I took a picture of today! See how much shorter this plant was on Tuesday??

These lavender are growing great too! I am so excited!! Can you tell I have Spring fever???
This is a great plant- I love succulents and cactus! If you look at the top you will see little nubs ad they are fuzzy. I think that he is going to flower! My shorter cactus I don't thin are mature enough, these must be older  as they are taller. Only the back plant has nubs on him the one in the front does not have any. Can't wait to see what color the flowers will be!
Here is a close up of the nubs. Not sure if they are going to be flowers or are they new plants? hmmmm I am excited either way.



Ok that has been the update on the started plants. Oh except the dahlia- she isn't growing. So I am going to try some lighter soil as the stuff she is in is heavy. We shall see. Tell me what you are growing? Is it really growing or just kind of sitting there? I am going to a friends this weekend and all the ladies there will do a seed exchange. I am excited for that!! Have you ever done a seed exchange? What did you like or not like about it?

12th Annual New Ventures Gardening Seminar

Good Morning  friends, I wanted to share this with you- I do apologize about the short notice. As part of my blog I like to share what is going on locally with my readers.  I think its worth knowing about what is going on in your local area so that you can support the local businesses and have fun in the processes!. Lets face it we all get our info in different ways and there are times you might not be able to read the local  paper, or sometimes the event is not in there. So I like to think that my blog has the job of informing/reminding you of things that you might want to know about. 
 
 The 12th annual New Ventures Gardening Seminar hosted by Northwood Community Ed, Spooner Garden Club, and the North Country Master Gardeners will inspire gardeners – and be a thought-provoker – on Saturday, March 17, at Northwood School, Minong.
Gardeners will be able to welcome spring with a day of camaraderie, shopping with garden-related vendors, great food, and four interesting, informative sessions:
• Decoding Gardening Advice by Meleah Maynard
Gardeners hear a lot of advice from all kinds of sources, but even the pros can be wrong. Frustrated by how confusing that must be for gardeners at all levels, Master Gardener Meleah Maynard and University of Minnesota Horticulture Professor Jeff Gillman (author of several books, including The Truth about Garden Remedies and The Truth about Organic Gardening) researched some of the most common recommendations and turned their findings into the book: Decoding Gardening Advice: The Science Behind the 100 Most Common Recommendations, which was published in December.
Does overhead watering really contribute to more plant diseases? Can urine be used as fertilizer? Should trees be staked? You’ll find out those answers and more.
• 10 Mistakes Even Experienced Gardeners Make and How to Avoid Them by Meleah Maynard
Gardeners always make mistakes as they learn. But even experienced gardeners blunder now and again. This presentation is a cheat sheet for gardeners who want to avoid 10 top mistakes and save themselves time, money, and a whole lotta back pain.
Besides being a book author and knowledgeable gardener, Maynard is a journalist and blogger. Her articles, columns, and essays have been published in regional and national publications, and she blogs at www.everydaygardener.com.
• Succulent Succulents by Scott Wald- www.simplysucculents.com
With the possibility of a hot, dry summer ahead, what better plants to consider than the diverse range of succulents, with their fascinating shapes, textures, and colors? Learn about their traits, what soil and watering techniques help them thrive, how they can be used in the garden and containers, and how to create artistic projects with them.
Scott and Sue Wald founded and operate Big Brook Greenhouse and Simply Succulents in Cable, WI, and have specialized in succulents since 1985. In 2011 Garden Design magazine recognized Simply Succulents as one of the seven best mail-order sources of succulents. They grow their succulents, so they are all hardy to Zone 3.
• A Chemical Reaction
The New Ventures Garden Seminar is presenting a different venture this year: a showing of the award-winning, engaging film A Chemical Reaction, which was released in 2009 and has been screened at film festivals and other events in the United States, Canada, and around the world.
Almost 21 years ago, Hudson, Quebec, near Montreal, became the first North American municipality to ban using “cosmetic,” synthetic pesticides on public and private gardens and lawns, except golf courses. The challenge to that law went all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court, where it was upheld. Now 80 percent of Canada and an increasing number of municipalities in the United States have enacted similar bans of over 200 insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, including commonly used ones such as Round-Up.
The film has been called “fascinating,” “enlightening,” “inspiring.” It follows the movement from its beginnings when a dermatologist in Hudson began seeing in her patients health problems related to pesticide contact and she persistently lobbied her town board to ban the chemicals.
Paul Tukey, a resident of Maine, combined his years as a journalist and then landscaping contractor and speaker to star in and produce the documentary, spurred by a serious illness he developed from the products he applied to lawns.
He is the author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual, the companion DVD Making the Organic Lawn Care Transition that received the 2007 Garden Writers Award for Best Electronic Media, founder of safelawns.org, and host of the HGTV show People, Places & Plants which aired for two years beginning in 2002. He has won numerous awards, including the 2006 Horticultural Communicator of the Year Award from the American Horticultural Society.
 
Seminar stats
The seminar will be held from 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., with registration and vendor sales beginning at 8:30 a.m. Pre-registration is required by mailing in $14 (includes lunch and snacks) with name, phone number, and address. Registration by at least a week in advance is appreciated so enough food and handouts are available.
As is the tradition at the seminar, 4x6-inch photos of plants, area gardens, and visited gardens are welcome and will be displayed during the event. Photos that are 8x10 are also welcome for displaying. Attendees are invited to send photos with their registration (not e-mailed in), along with the photographer’s name and a description of the photo. The snapshots can be retrieved after the seminar if desired.
Vendors with any kind of garden-related products are invited, too.
The books Decoding Garden Advice, The Organic Lawn Care Manual, and if published in time for the seminar, Tukey’s new book Tag, Toss and Run – 40 Classic Lawn Games will be sold at the seminar.
More information about the seminar is available from Julie Hustvet, gardenseminar@charter.net, or Northwood Community Ed Director Micki Brisky, 715-466-4692, ext. 331, or michela_brisky@northwood.k12.wi.us. Questions about vending can be directed to Hustvet.
Northwood School is four miles north of Minong on Hwy. 53. The New Ventures Garden Seminar is held annually on the third Saturday in March.
 
Northwood School Community Ed
N14463 Hwy 53
Minong, WI 54859
You can make the check out to Northwood School Community Ed.